Direct numerical simulations of turbulent flow over low-pressure turbine blades with aeroelastic vibrations and inflow wakes

In the present work, direct numerical simulation is employed to investigate the unsteady flow characteristics and energy performance of low-pressure turbines (LPT) by considering the blades aeroelastic vibrations and inflow wakes. The effects of inflow disturbance (0 < φ < 0.91) and reduced blade vibration (0 < f < 250 Hz) on the turbulent flow behavior of LPTs are investigated for the first time. The transient governing equations on the vibrating blades are modelled by the high-order spectral/hp element method. The results revealed that by increasing the inflow disturbances, the separated bubbles tend to shrink, which has a noticeable influence on the pressure in the downstream region. The maximum wake loss value is reduced by 16.4% by increasing the φ from 0.31 to 0.91. The flow separation is majorly affected by inflow wakes and blade vibrations. The results revealed that the maximum pressure coefficient in the separated flow region of the vibrating blade has been increased by 108% by raising φ from 0 to 0.91. The blade vibration further intensifies the vortex generation process, adding more energy to the flow and the downstream vortex shedding. The vortex generation and shedding are intensified on the vibrating blade compared to the non-vibrating one that is subject to inflow wakes. The results and findings from this paper are also useful for the design and modeling of turbine blades that are prone to aeroelastic instabilities, such as large offshore wind turbine blades